UFC: Luke Rockhold and Others Receive Restructured Deals
There was recently some friction between the UFC and Luke Rockhold over money that was resolved rather quickly. Are the new owners more flexible than the Fertittas?
Luke Rockhold has been vocal about fighter pay in recent weeks. The former Middleweight Champion turned down a UFC 205 bout (allegedly with Weidman) in favor of a modeling career.
Rockhold believes fighting is his passion but he wasn’t receiving proper compensation. And then all of a sudden, the UFC would confirm that Rockhold and Jacare Souza would be having a rematch in Melbourne, Australia. While Weidman and Romero would be on the UFC 205 main card in New York.
It would seem that Rockhold’s money situation has been resolved for the time being. His overall upbeat attitude and other recent events would indicate that the UFC is changing its stance on fighter pay.
Since the sale of the company, we have seen fighters like Joanne Calderwood receive adjusted contracts. Nate Diaz benefited from a healthy pay bump in his rematch with Conor McGregor. Cowboy Cerrone even signed a new 8 fight contract with the UFC after Bellator allegedly offered $350,000 guaranteed.
In case you aren’t familiar with Bellator contracts; Viacom likes to throw in things like red carpet appearances, kickboxing bouts, TV scripts, and other things to increase a fighter’s celebrity.
Looks like things are getting better for the fighters on the pay side, which actually benefits the viewers. When athletes have less to worry about, it frees their mind which means better fights. And the potential for more money is always a great incentive to put on a good show.
It makes you wonder what’s going on with the GSP situation. If you recall, GSP had the most lucrative endorsement deals of any fighter in MMA history at the time. He was the only fighter to have contracts with Under Armor, Gatorade, and the first to get a contract with CAA.
With the Reebok deal in place, GSP would need compensation to make up for that lost cash. As of right now, the negotiations have not gone well. But if recent news is any indication of changing times, we may see GSP in time for Toronto or a New Year’s card.
More from Cage Pages
This article originally appeared on 
